KU News Release

Presentation on transportation and research efforts planned

LAWRENCE — A presentation on transportation and research efforts will be given at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Spahr Engineering Classroom in Eaton Hall as part of the Emerging Challenges in Transportation lecture series at the University of Kansas.

The presentation, “The History and Future of Personal Rapid Transit in the United States,” is open to students, faculty and the public. Refreshments will be served in the Locke Atrium of Eaton Hall after the presentation.

Speaking at the event will be Hugh Kierig, director of parking and transportation at West Virginia University and a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners. He previously held positions at Oklahoma State University and was president of KA Associates, a transit and parking consulting firm based in Kansas City, Mo.

West Virginia University is home to the only Personal Rapid Transit system in the United States. The system connects the university’s campuses with an 8.2-mile system that uses a guideway and a fleet of fully automated vehicles to allow students to avoid the hassle of parking and traffic by simply swiping a card at one of five passenger stations. The system is built into student fees and tuition, and has been considered the easiest and fastest mode of transportation on the campus for more than 30 years.

Kierig is overseeing construction of a $16-million intermodal transportation center on the West Virginia campus in Morgantown. The center will include bus terminals, waiting areas, bicycle storage and shower facilities for travelers. There also is a plan to build a parking garage that would include a direct connection to the Personal Rapid Transit.

The presentation is sponsored by KU’s Transportation Research Institute and the Mid-America Transportation Center, a consortium of several Midwest university transportation centers.

The Transportation Research Institute hosts visiting scholars from the United States and abroad to facilitate cooperative research and information exchange. The institute also sponsors conferences and colloquia to disseminate research results.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.